Simplify the following expression: $p = \dfrac{k^2 - 2k - 35}{k + 5} $
Explanation: First factor the polynomial in the numerator. $ k^2 - 2k - 35 = (k + 5)(k - 7) $ So we can rewrite the expression as: $p = \dfrac{(k + 5)(k - 7)}{k + 5} $ We can divide the numerator and denominator by $(k + 5)$ on condition that $k \neq -5$ Therefore $p = k - 7; k \neq -5$